Arthur's twin
by ZubZub
Summary: Ygraine and Uther had used old religious magic to create their beloved heir. Arthurs life had come at a price: A life for a life,but the unexpected had happened and Ygraine had given birth to twins: a boy and a girl. However, Uthers daughter had been born with magic. Frightened and afraid, she'd kept this secret from him but this all changes when a young sorcerer arrives in Camelot
1. The Dragons Call - Part 1

**Disclaimer -** I do not own Merlin. All credit goes to the BBC.

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"Let this serve as a lesson to all. This man, Thomas James Collins, is adjudged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic. And, pursuant to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practices are banned on penalty of death. I pride myself as a fair and just king, but for the crime of sorcery, there is but one sentence I can pass." My fathers voice echoed through the silent town square. People watched as he rose his hand into the air, about to give the order to execute the man.

"This is so wrong..." I whispered to my twin brother, Arthur, who wrapped his arm around my shoulder in a comforting manner. "He didn't harm anyone with his magic! He's not evil!"

"I know, but there's nothing we can do. When it comes to sorcery-" He was cut off mid-sentence as the axe his the ground sending gasps through the crowd. "- Uther won't listen to anyone." He finished, looking at me with sad eyes.

"Do you think he'd really kill me? If he... If he found out about my magic?" I asked. I had been born with magic which technically made me a warlock but in my fathers eyes, magic was magic. It sickens me. Arthur, Gaius and The Lady Morgana were the only people who knew about my sorcery. I was too scared to tell anyone else and there was not way I was going to tell my father.

"I'm sure he wouldn't..." Arthur hesitated for a moment. "But for now, it's probably best to keep it secret." I nodded in agreement.

Most of the time my brother was a complete prat but when it came down to serious matters like this, he was really sweet and caring to me; just like a big brother should be.

"When I came to this land, this kingdom was mired in chaos, but with the people's help magic was driven from the realm. So I declare a festival to celebrate twenty years since the Great Dragon was captured and Camelot freed from the evil of sorcery. Let the celebrations begin." Our father announced.

"There is only one evil in this land, and it is not magic! It is you!" Someone in the crowd wailed, catching my attention. "With your hatred and your ignorance! You took my son! And I promise you, before these celebrations are over, you will share my tears. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son."

"Seize her!" My father ordered quickly, pointing at her. The woman pulled something out from around her neck and began to chant a spell and before I knew it, she had disappeared in a whirlwind of smoke.

The crowd began to return to their home, frightened by the resent events. I returned to my chambers and spent the remainder of my day practicing the arts of music.

~8~

On my way down to the feast, I noticed Morgana was sitting alone at the windowsill staring down at the silent street. I made my way over to her and sat down.

"It's so wrong!" She exclaimed. "That poor man had done nothing wrong and that mother..." She sighed heavily.

"I know." I agreed.

"Morgana, Lillian." I spun around when I heard my fathers voice. "Why are you not joining is at the feast?"

"I don't think chopping someone's head off is a cause for celebration." Morgana snorted slightly.

"It was simple justice for what he had done." Uther stated simply.

"What had he done?" I asked. "He didn't hurt anyone, it's hardly treason! He was just practicing magic!"

"You were not around twenty years ago, you have no idea what it was like."

"How long are you going to keep punishing people for what happened then?" Morgana questioned.

"Until they realise there is no room for magic in my kingdom! You will be with me when I greet Lady Helen."

"I told you, I want no part in these celebrations!" Morgana yelled, storming off.

Dad sighed, "Stubborn girl." He said, "Now, come, Lilian. The feast awaits." He motioned me to come and, reluctantly, I got up and followed my father into the main hall to 'enjoy' the feast.

~8~

It was the next day and Arthur and I were out 'training' with his manservant. Normally girls wouldn't train with daggers but it was either this or singing practice and I couldn't sing, even though I'd been having lesson since I was 7. I managed persuade my brother to take me out with him Although he didn't seem too pleased about it.

"Where's the target?" My brother asked impatiently.

_"_There, Sir?" His servant replied.

"It's into the sun."

"But, it's not that bright."

"A bit like you, then?" Arthur said, causing the other knights the laugh along with him.

"Arthur, don't be so mean." I scolded, knitting my eyebrows together.

"I'm merely stating the obvious." He shrugged, returning his attention to the manservant. The boy was now running across the scene, carrying the target towards the wall. "This'll teach him." Arthur said, throwing a dagger at the moving target.

"Hey, hang on!" The boy exclaimed, stopping in his tracks.

"Keep moving." The prince ordered, throwing another dagger at the boy. The servant picked up the target once more and began to run circles around the yard.

"Arthur, stop. This is bullying!" I said, tugging on his arm.

He began try to shove me off, "Let go!"

"Hey, come on." Someone in the crowd said, "Shes right, that's enough."

"What?" My brother asked, slightly taken back by this mans words.

"You've had your fun, my friend."

"Do I know you?" Arthur asked in a rather rude fashion.

"Er, I'm Merlin." The boy said, sticking out his hand politely despise my brothers rude question.

"So, I don't know you?"

Merlin hesitated, "No."

"Yet you call me 'friend'" The prince pointed out.

"My mistake."

"Yes, I think so."

"Yeah, I'd never have a friend that could be such an ass." I began sniggering at his statement. No one had even addressed my brother in such a manner; except me of course.

"Nor I one that could be so stupid." Arthur returned, snorting. "Tell me, Merlin, do you know how to walk in your knees?"

"No."

"Would you like me to help you?"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Merlin threatened.

"Why? What are you going to do to me?" My brother questioned, chuckling.

"You have no idea." Merlin said, almost darkly.

"Be my guest! Come on! Come on! Come ooooon!" Arthur challenged.

"Arthur...!" I warned. "Don't get carried away. Do you remember what napped to the last man?"

"Yeah, well, he deserved that." He shrugged. Merlin made a swing at Arthur but my brother was to fast and quickly had him restrained. "I could have you thrown in jail for that."

"Why, who do you think you are? The king?" Merlin asked, sarcastically.

"No, I'm his son, Arthur."

Arthur's Knights escorted Merlin to the dungeons under the castle.

I turned to face my brother. "That was a tad unnecessary."

"He insulted The Prince of Camelot. He deserved it." He replied simply, beginning to walk towards the castle.

"Yeah, but, to chuck him in the cells?"

"What do you suggest then?"

~8~

I wasn't able to get him out of the cells straight away so the mysterious stranger had to spend a night in prison. The next day, I went down to the dungeons to tell him what I had done. Gaius was going to come later with the keys.

"I'm sorry about my brother." I apologised, "He can be a real royal prat sometimes."

"It's okay, I've had worse." He said. "Its Lillian, right? His twin?"

"Yeah, unfortunately..." I said, rolling my eyes sarcastically.

"Thanks for sticking up for me back there."

"It, it was nothing, honestly." I said, my cheeks burning up slightly. Suddenly, Gaius appeared as the bottom of the staircase holding a large set of keys.

"Gaius! You got the keys?" I said.

"Yes, My lady," He replied, bowing slightly. "Forgive me, but I don't think my back is going to let me bend any lower."

"It okay." I said, chuckling. Gaius had looked after Arthur and I when we were children and was a lot like a second father to me. He was there when my biological father wasn't.

Gaius strode over to the entrance of Merlins cell and opened the lock. He sighed before speaking to Merlin, "You never cease to amaze me! The one thing that someone like you should do is keep your head down, and what do you do? You behave like an idiot." This caught my attention. Why did he need to keep his head down?

Merlin looked down at the ground, sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

"You're lucky, Lillian managed to pull a few strings to get you released."

"Oh thank you, thank you." Merlin said, jumping onto his feet. He turned to face me. "I won't forget this!"

Gaius gave him a disapproved look, "Well, there is a small price to pay..."

~8~

"Your even more idiotic than my brother!" I said, laughing as Merlin got hit by another tomato. He had been sentenced to the stocks for an hour and several children were given the pleasure of pelting him with fruit and vegetables.

"Er, thanks?" He said, spitting out a load of tomato juice.

As the children left to refill their baskets with vegetable, Gwen stepped up to the stocks. "Hey Lillian," She greeted, "enjoying the show?"

"Most certainly." I replied, chuckling. "I may join the children in a minute. It looks like fun."

"I'd rather you didn't." Merlin groaned.

"Oh!" Gwen said, startled. "Sorry, I forgot you were there. I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen. I'm the Lady Morgana's maid."

"Right, I'm Merlin." They exchanged an awkward handshake. "Although most people just call me idiot." He finished, looking at me.

"Hey! As the prince said, I was 'merely stating the obvious.'" I defended, smirking.

"No, no, no." Gwen disagreed. "I saw what you did back there. It was so brave."

"It was stupid."

"Well, I'm glad you walked away. You weren't going to beat him."

Merlin snorted. "Oh, I- I can beat him."

"You think? Because you don't look like one of these big, muscle-y kind of fellows."

"Thanks." Merlin said, trying not to look offended although he was clearly showing it in his voice.

"No! No, I'm sure you're stronger than you look." Gwen quickly corrected. "It's just, erm... Arthur's one of these real rough, tough, save the world kind of men, and... well..."

"What?"

"You don't look like that." She stated, simply.

Merling motioned for her to come closer. "I'm in disguise."

The two of us burst into laughter. "Well, it's great you stood up to him."

"What? You think so?"

"Arthur's a bully, and everyone thought you were a real hero."

"I have to agree with you on that one, Gwen." I said. "Arthur can be really horrible sometimes."

"People thought I was a hero?" Meeting questioned.

Gwen nodded. "Mm-hmm."

The children returned with more vegetable, cutting off our conversation. "Oh, excuse me, Guinevere, Lillian. My fans are waiting."

Gwen and I backed away from the stocks to avoid being hit. "I guess we'll be seeing you around?" I called.

"Probab-" He was cut off when another tomato entered his mouth.

~8~


	2. The Dragons Call - Part 2

**Disclaimer -** I do not own Merlin. All credit goes to the BBC.

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Hey everyone. I just wanted to thank you for my lovely reviews.

**WolfAndMagicAndStuff - **I'm pleased to know you're liking it so far!

**ThatOneGirlNoOneNotices - **I'm glad you like it so far. I was thinking about having Merlin and Lillian get together and if that's what people want, I'll do that ;)

**DragonShadowQueen - **Glad to know you like it!

**BlueGreen216 - **Thank you for pointing that out. Criticism is always welcome, it's the only way I'll improve. I've gone through and changed it and I'll post the improved version when I post this chapter so I hope it's better. I'm glad to know you like it, though!

**overwhelmedbythefandoms - **Heh, what a coincidence!

* * *

"I still don't know why I agreed to take you training with us again, especially after what happened last time." Arthur complained as we made our way to the training centre with a few other knights. "You're a girl."

"So?" I said slightly offended. "One day, I may need to defend myself. Anyway, I think you're just saying that because you know I'd beat you in a sword fight."

"Would not!"

"Would too!"

"Would not! Hey, look, it's Merlin." Arthur pointed out, changing the subject. "How's your knee walking coming along?" He yelled. Merlin kept walking in the same direction, ignoring him. "Aw, don't run away!"

"From you?" He said, stopping in his tracks.

"Thank god, I thought you were deaf as well as dumb!"

"Look, I've already told you you're an ass." I made a deep 'ooooh!' noice and laughed slightly. Merlin turned and faced Arthur. "I just didn't realise you were a royal one. Oh, what are you going to do? Get your daddy's men to protect you?"

Arthur laughed darkly, "I could take you apart in one blow."

"I could take you apart in less than that." Merlin challenged.

"Are you sure?" Merlin removed his jaket and chucked it on the ground. Arthur laughed once more. "Here you go." The Prince tossed Merlin one of his maces and began to swing the other one around his head with ease.

"Arthur, just leave it!" I said, worried more about Merlin health than my brothers, only because I knew Arthur was good with a mace.

He ignored my warning and carried on interrogating Merlin. "Come on, then. I must warn you, I've been trained to kill since birth."

"Wow, how long have you been training to be a prat?"

Arthur snorted in disgust. "You can't address me like that!"

"Sorry, how long have you been training to be a prat," He gave a small bow. "My Lord?" I couldn't help it, I burst into laughter at Merlins comeback. It was about time someone put Arthur in place.

Arthur glared at me before taking a swing at Merlin, which he quickly dodged. Merlin began to back away into the market stalls and tripped over his own feet. I quickly looked around for something to distract Arthur with and noticed a large bucket of something sitting comfortably on the edge of a windowsill. My eyes turned gold and the bucket fell on my brother, covering him in human waste. The crowd began to laugh at the princes misfortune.

Embarrassed, Arthur attempted to make another swing at Merlin, only for his mace to become entangled in some netting behind him. This gave Merlin enough time to get back on his feet again and back away. Once Arthur had untangled his mace, he made a run for Merlin however, he managed to walk into a box, that I could have sworn wasn't there before, and bash his shin on it. He winced in pain.

He then tripped over a tightened rope and caught his foot in a bucket as he back away. Merlin looked at the crowd in triumph but froze when he noticed Gaius was part of the spectators. Arthur took his chance and bashed him several times with a broom, knocking him onto the ground. The guards began to restrain Merlin but The Prince stopped them.

"Wait. Let him go. He may be an idiot, but he's a brave one. There's something about you Merlin, something I can't quite put my finger on." The knights threw him back onto the ground and joined Arthur as he made his way back to the castle.

I walked over to Merlin and put my hand out. He gladly accepted it and pulled himself back on his feet. "You should have backed away, you know."

"I know, but if I had, the Prince wouldn't have got covered in human waste." He pointed out.

"True." I admitted, smiling at the memory. "True."

"Come on, Lillian!" My brother yelled.

"Coming!" I called before turning back to Merlin. "If you want to stay alive, you should probably stop doing idiotic things like that."

"I know." Merlin replied, looking as if he'd just been lectured by his mother. "But it's hard to back away from a fight with that prat."

"Lillian!"

"Alright, alright!" I said, irritated. "Bye, Merlin. I'll see you at the feast."

Arthur was right, there was something about Merlin, like he was keeping some sort of life threatening secret. I could only hope it wasn't what I suspected. Most of the town were blinded by their ignorance and wouldn't get suspicious by behaviour like that. I had to find out more about this 'Merlin' character.

I ran over and joined my brothers side. "That was you, wasn't it."

"I don't know what your talking about." I replied, innocently.

"The-" He gestured to the human waste the was covering his armour. "-Bucket

"Maybe...!"

He punched my arm playfully. "I hate you!"

"Love you too!"

"But, seriously, someone could have seen you. You can't use your... You know... Whenever you feel like it. It's too risky." He lectured.

"I'm sorry, but you can't just go around beating up random citizens! Its bullying! I had to do something."

"Well, thanks for doing this to me."

"At least now you'll finally have to have that long needed bath." I joked and we exchanged grins.

~8~

"Ahhh! To tight, to tight!" I exclaimed as Gwen fastened my evening dress. Even though Gwen wasn't my maidservant, I had asked her to help get ready for tonight's feast with Lady Helen as she was my friend and she did a better job than my maidservant.

"Sorry." She apologised, loosing my corset slightly. "There, all done!"

I twirled around on the spot. "How do I look?"

"Most becoming, my lady." She smiled. "If you'll excuse me, I need to attend my other duties before the feast."

"Sure, go ahead." She bowed and as soon as she left, Merlin entered looking rather lost.

"I'm guessing this isn't the great hall." He said, sighing.

"No," I laughed, "You're far from it actually."

"Gaius must have given me the wrong instructions... Again..."

"It's his old age, trust me. I was just about to make my way down there, if you'd like to accompany me?" I offered.

"Oh, uh..." His cheeks turned a dark crimson colour. "Sure."

We strode through the castle silently until we came to the turning that Merlin had got lost at. "This is where he said to turn left." Merlin told me. "Obviously I was meant to go right."

"His instructions weren't to bad this time actually. I've been given worse ones from him." We carried on walking for a while. "Ah, here it is." Lucky, the feast hadn't started yet and everyone was still waiting for Lady Helen and Uther to enter. Together, we made our way over to Gaius.

"Merlin, you're late." Gaius scolded.

"Well, I'm sorry you gave me the wrong instructions."

"I did?" Gaius looked to me for confirmation and I nodded. "Oh, well, my apologies, Merlin."

"It's okay-" Merlin stopped mid-sentence when Morgana entered. He couldn't stop staring at her and, for some unknown reason, I couldn't help but feel a tad jealous.

"I'm still here, Merlin." I mumbled, annoyed.

"What? Oh, oh yeah, sorry." He said, still dazed.

"Urg, boys!" I said sighing. I left Merlins side and sat down next to Arthur.

Celebratory horns play when Uther enters, signalling for everyone to take their places. The room went silent as my father took his place on the other side of Arthur and began his speech.

"We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity. It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures, but few can compare with the honour of introducing Lady Helen of Mora."

The room filled with applause as Uther took his seat. Music soon replaced the applause and Lady Helen began to to sing but this was no ordinary song. The court members were all beginning to drift off to sleep, their heads slowly drooping. In an attempt to block out the music, I covered my ears. I didn't notice Merlin do the same thing. Cobwebs began to form over the tables and I backed away to avoid being caught up in them.

"Oh course it would be you." Lady Helen said, smiling evilly, as she pulled a dagger out of her sleeve. "I know what you are. What you are." My eyes widened in surprise which was clearly the reaction she was hoping for as her eyes began to sparkle with triumph. "Does your father know? Or your brother?"

"Leave them out of this!" I yelled.

"Perhaps you should have told them sooner as one of them is going to die tonight!" Her eyes glowed golden and I was sent flying back to the other side of the hall. I hit the wall hard, although I wasn't knocked unconscious, and was watched in fear as she advanced towards Arthur. She raised her arm to throw the dagger at him but, out of nowhere, the chandelier fell on top of her, crushed her and breaking the enchantment. The sleeping court member slowly began to wake up, many of them looking very confused.

In one last attempt to finish what she had come to do, 'Lady Helen', using all her remaining strength, threw the dagger at The Prince.

"Arthur!" I yelled struggling to get up but Merlin managed to get their first. He knocked my brother off his chair and split seconds later, the dagger sunk itself into his throne. 'Lady Helen' collapsed dead soon after.

Uther panicked after seeing my empty chair. "Lillian?!"

"Right here, father." I replied. He got up off his throne and helped me onto my feet.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded. "She's... She's a sorceress, father."

"I know." He said, staring at Merlin. "You saved my boys life. A dept must be repaid."

"Oh, well..." Merlin stuttered.

"Don't be so modest. You shall be rewarded."

"No, honestly, you don't have to, Your Highness."

"No, absolutely. This merits something quite special."

"Well..."

"You shall be rewarded a position in the royal household. You shall be Prince Arthur's manservant." The room filled with applause although Merlin looked as if he'd just been sentenced to death.

"Father!" Arthur complained as Morgana and I burst in a fit of giggles.

~8~


	3. Valiant

**Disclaimer - **I do not own Merlin. All credit goes to the BBC.

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Decided to make this episode one chapter as it ended up being quite a bit shorter than the previous one and I haven't updated in a while so... Yeah. Also, I'm sorry this chapter wasn't very interesting but I have more ideas for the next episode so hopefully the next one will be better :P Hope thats okay!

Again, thanks to my reviewers!

**BlueGreen216 - **Thats good, glad to know its better now. Pleased to know you're enjoying the story!

**Whovian Sherlockian Potterhead - **Glad to know you like it! I was thinking of having Merlin and Lillian as a couple and if that's what my reviewers want, then I'll do it! :)

**DragonShadowQueen - **I'm glad to know you think so and that you're still enjoying the story so far!

**ThatOneGirlNoOneNotices - **Aw, thank you! That's really sweet :) I'm pleased you're still enjoying the story!

* * *

"My Lady," My maidservant, Isabelle, called as she opened the curtains allowing sunlight to come flooding in. "It's time to get up. Your art teacher and the Lady Morgana are waiting for you."

"They are?!" I asked, shooting up into a sitting position. "What time is it?"

"Around midday, My Lady."

"Midday! Why didn't you wake me sooner?!" I asked, anger creeping into my voice.

"I'm, I'm... Im sorry, My Lady." Isabelle stuttered; apologising although not actually giving me an explanation.

I sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap, I'm just not much of a morning person."

She nodded politely and set my clothes down on my bed. "Would you like some help getting dressed?" She asked.

"I'll be fine, thank you. You may go." She nodded and silently left the room. Why I'd snapped, I didn't know. I guessed it was because I was becoming fed up with everything; mainly keeping my secret from my father, I suppose.

But there was also Merlin.

I know he had been awake when everyone else had been under the enchantment as no one who had been under the spell wouldn't have been able to react that fast afterwards. He must have heard what Lady Helen had said to me but he couldn't have understood, could he?

This had been bugging me for weeks now but I could just go up to him and ask him.

I got changed into the red dress Isabelle had picked out for me and made my way down to the art room. When I got there, Alice, my art teacher, didn't look to pleased to see me.

"You're late." She stated.

"I'm sorry." I said, curtsying. "I-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses. Sit down." I did as she said and sat down on the stool next to Morgana, who had a rather amused look on her face. "As a young lady, and possible future queen of Camelot, you have to learn to be on time for everything. It is one of your duties." She lectured.

"I know, I'm sorry, Ma'am." I apologised. I heard Morgana snigger besides me and I playfully elbowed her.

"Good. Now, today-"

~8~

We spent three hours perfecting our drawings of a fruit bowl, although it felt a lot longer than that. By that time, I was starving as I had missed both breakfast and lunch and decided that I'd quickly visit the kitchen before returning to my chambers.

However, on my way there, I bumped into a rather battered looking Merlin. "Hey Merlin. What happened?"

"Arthur 'happened'." He grumbled, rubbing his bruised forehead.

"Training?"

"Mm-hmm."

"My father must have given you one of the best rewards money could buy." I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Merlin rolled his shoulder blades back resulting in an ear piercing clicking noise. "I'd better get Gaius to check this out."

"Yeah, thats probably for the best. Bye." He quickly left, leaving me standing in the corridor by myself. Of course, it wasn't long till my idiot of a brother came along.

"There's a thing called a 'knight', you know." I told him.

He huffed in reply, "And your point is?"

"You work Merlin too hard and I'm pretty sure fighting isn't part of his job. As if being you manservant wasn't bad enough..."

"Hey!" He said offended before changing the subject slightly. "How was your art lesson?"

"Terrible!" I exclaimed, "My teacher hates me! Sometimes I wish I were a man, then I wouldn't have to have 'singing lessons, art lesson or lessons in the arts of music.'"

"Of course you do, men are awesome." He said, trying to look impressive by flexing his arm muscles, but failing terribly.

"Actually, I take that back." I said, laughing at my brothers failure. "Want to do something?"

"Actually, I've got to train for the tournament with my knights."

"Oh _now _you train with your knights!"

"Just, shut up!" He said, storming off towards the armoury.

"Bye, Arthur." I yelled after him. "Oh, and if I don't see you before tomorrow, good luck!"

~8~

"Knights of the realm, it's a great honour to welcome you to a tournament at Camelot. Over the next three days, you will come to put your bravery to the test, your skills as warriors, and of course, to challenge the reigning champion, my son, Prince Arthur. Only one can have the honour of being crowned champion, and he will receive a prize of 1,000 gold pieces." Uther opened the chest besides him revealing the gold before finishing his speech. "It is in combat that we learn a knight's true nature, whether he is indeed a warrior or a coward. The tournament begins!"

Arthur, along with several other knights, fought although one man, Knight Valiant, caught my attention.

I leant over and began whispering to Morgana. "He's pretty good." I pointed out. "And he doesn't look half bad either."

Morgana chuckled in response. "I have to agree with you there."

"Are you implying something about my taste in men?!" I asked, pretending to look shocked. The two of us laughed.

"Come, girls." Once the first round of the tournament was over, Uther ushered us out of the arena and into the throne room where the knights from the tournament were already lined up, ready to meet the lady they could be escorting to the feast if they won.

Sir Valiant was the last man to meet us. "Knight Valiant of the western isles, My Lord."

"I saw you fighting today. You have a very aggressive style." Uther observed.

"Well, as My Lord said, 'To lose is to be disgraced.'"

"I couldn't agree more. Knight Valiant, my I present you Princess Lillian, my daughter." Knight Valiant bent down and kissed my hand. "And the Lady Morgana, my ward." He then bent down and kissed Morgana's hand. I couldn't help but notice the wry grin that spread across Arthur's face.

"I saw you competing today." Morgana told him.

"I saw you watching." He replied. "I understand the tournament champion has the honour of escorting My Lady to the feast."

"That is correct."

"Then I will give everything to win the tournament."

They exchanged smiles before parting.

"I think somebody likes you! Arthur's not going to be happy." I laughed.

"Speak of the Devil..." Morgana mumbled. Arthur began to stride over towards us, looking rather miffed. "They all seem rather impressed by Knight Valiant." She pointed out.

"They're not the only ones." Arthur replied.

"You're not _jealous_, are you?" Morgana asked, smiling.

Arthur scoffed, "I don't see there's anything to be jealous of."

Morganas smile soon turned upside down and she stormed off towards Gwen. Arthur, on the other hand, turned to face me.

"What did I say?" He asked, generally confused.

"Arthur," I started, "You'll never get a wife."

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "Course I will! I'm handsome and-" I burst into laughter at his statement and he frowned at me. "Anyway, Why couldn't it be you that the winner was given the honour to escort to the feast?"

"Because if you won, you'd have to escort your sister and that's slightly disturbing."

"I suppose." He shrugged. "I've got to get some rest."

"Sure, don't want you falling asleep halfway through a fight!" He gave me a rather annoyed expression. "I'll... See you tomorrow..." I said awkwardly.

~8~

Both Arthur and Valiant had won all their fights and were going to face each other tomorrow in the finals. Arthur and I were eating dinner in his chambers when Merlin burst through the doors holding a rather strange green object in his hand.

"You can't fight Knight Valiant tomorrow!" He exclaimed.

"And why ever not?" Arthur questioned.

"He's using magic to summon snakes." He held up the object in hand that turned out to be a snakes head. "Ewan was bitten by a snake from the shield when he was fighting Valiant. You can talk to Gaius, you can see the puncture wounds in Ewan's neck where the snake bit him. Ewan was beating him, he had to cheat."

"No one would dare use magic in camelot; no one stupid enough anyway." Arthur fell silent and I scratched the back of my head awkwardly at his statement.

I also could have sworn I saw Merlins face pale slightly, but he carried on explaining the situation. "Ewan was pinned under Valiant's shield. No one could see the snake bite him."

"I don't like the guy," Arthur admitted, "but-"

"Only because he likes Morgana..." I butted in and Arthur elbowed me in the side of my stomach.

"-But that doesn't mean he's cheating."

"Gaius is preparing an antidote to the snake venom. When Ewan's conscious, he'll tell you what happened. If you fight Valiant in the final, he'll use the shield. It's the only way he can beat you. Look at it! Have you ever seen any snakes like this in Camelot?" Arthur picked up the snake head and examined it closely.

I could feel the magical energy bouncing off the snake and leant over to Arthur so only he could hear what I was saying. "It's magical, I can feel it." He nodded in response.

"I know I'm just a servant and my word doesn't count for anything. I wouldn't lie to you."

"I believe you." I told him.

Arthur, however, didn't look so convinced despite me telling him the creature was magical. "I want you to swear to me what you're telling me is true."

"I swear it's true."

"Then I believe you."

~8~

"Why have you summoned the court?" Our father asked in a fed up tone as he began to pace back and forth.

"I believe Knight Valiant is using a magic shield to cheat in the tournament." Arthur said.

Uther obviously didn't believe him as he didn't flinch at the word magic like he normally would, but he did stop pacing and faced Knight Valiant. "Valiant, what do you have to say to this?"

"My Lord, this is ridiculous. I've never used magic. Does your son have any evidence to support this outrageous accusation?" Valiant defended.

"Do you have evidence?"

"We do." We said in sync.

"Let me see it then." Knight Valiant passed the shield over to Uther.

"Be careful, father." I warned but, to my relief, nothing happened.

"As you can see, My Lord, it's just an ordinary shield." Valiant stated, matter-of-factly.

"He's not going to let everyone see the snakes come alive." I shot back.

"Then how am I to know that what you say is true?" Our father questioned, still not convinced.

I was was about to argue back but Arthur beat me to it. "I have a witness. Knight Ewan was bitten by one of the snakes from the shield. Its venom made him grievously ill, however, he has received an antidote. He will confirm that Knight Valiant is using magic."

"Where is this witness?"

"He should be here..." Arthur turned to face Gaius and Merlin and began whispering to them. When he turned back around, he gulped nervously. "The witness is dead, sire."

"What?" I asked in a hoarse whisper. "He's-"

"So you have no proof to support these allegations. Have you seen Valiant using magic?" My father cut me off.

"No. But my servant fought one of the snakes from-" Arthur started.

"Your servant? You made these outrageous accusations against a knight on the word of your servant?"

"My Lord, am I really to be judged on some hearsay from a boy?" Knight Valiant questioned.

"Just because he's a servant doesn't mean his word should be treated any less than ours!" I cried.

"I've seen those snakes come alive!" Merlin then exclaimed.

"How dare you two interrupt?!" Uther said, more shocked at my behaviour then Merlins "Guards!"

"Hey, what, no! You can't-" I was dragged out of the room and the doors were shut firmly behind us so we couldn't eavesdrop. I didn't have to wait outside long, though, as a rather angry looking Arthur stormed out of the court room not long after.

"What happened?"

"No thanks to Merlin I've lost my fathers trust and now everyone thinks I'm a coward! Knight Valiant tried to accuse me of wanting to withdraw from the tournament!" He paused for a moment and sighed heavily. "Merlin, come with me."

Merlin nodded nervously and left the court room with Arthur. I was just about to leave myself when my father stopped me.

"I expected better manners from you, Lillian. A servant I can understand, but a possible future queen?" To be honest, I was pretty fed up with everyone calling me 'future queen'. It was obvious Arthur was going to become king after Uther and I doubt I'll out live my brother so I don't see what all the fuss is about.

"I know, I'm sorry father. It won't happen again." As much as I hated my father for what he had done and what he thought of magic, I didn't like to make him disappointed.

"It shouldn't." He hesitated slightly. "I'll see you at the arena for the finals of the tournament."

"Yes father."

Knight Valiant gave me an evil smirk as he exited the room before joining Uther's side.

~8~

Once I had finished putting my brother armour on, I clipped his cloak around his neck and his sword onto his belt.

"Shouldn't Merlin be doing this?" I questioned.

"I... No longer require Merlins services." Arthur replied emotionless.

"So you fired him." I said, casually.

"In other words."

Finally, I stuffed his helmet into his arm. "You have to be careful; he's defiantly using magic."

"I know," Arthur told me.

"Just make sure you stay out of reach and don't get trapped under his shield."

"Am I really taking advise from a girl?"

"No. Here, I'll tell you a secret." I leant in closer to him. "I'm secretly a boy." I joked.

"Knights, take your places!" Uther beckoned.

"Good luck!"

Nervously, Arthur strode into the arena and readied himself as I made my way up to the podium that my father and Morgana were sitting at. The two knights placed their helmets on their heads and began fighting. Arthur looked like he was winning at the start however, he began to let his guard down slightly allowing Valiant to disarm him. Arthur's sword flew out of his hand and landed miles away from him. Once Arthur was down, Valiant raised his shield up and began walking slowly towards The Prince.

Suddenly, a loud hissing sound came from Knight Valiant and, sure enough, two snakes appeared from his shield.

This, however, also came as a surprise to Valiant. "What are you doing? I didn't summon you!" He hissed.

"He is using magic." My father exclaimed.

"And now they see you for what you really are."

Knight Valiant chuckled darkly and sent the snakes to the ground. "Kill him!"

The snakes lunged for Arthur but, using his shield, he was able to whack them away from him, but the snakes were quick and soon had him cornered just beneath us.

Seeing as no one else was doing anything, Morgana grabbed The Kings sword. "Arthur, catch!" She yelled, chucking him the sword. And just in time too. He was able to kill both snakes before knocking Knight Valiant to the floor and running him through. Valiant lay on the ground, motionless.

I jumped off the podium, ran towards my brother and hugged him tightly. He awkwardly patted my back. "Too much of a man to hug your own sister?" I asked, pulling away and smiling mischievously at him.

"What? No, I..." He turned bright red.

"I'm just kidding." I told him. "You'd better get ready for the feast. The Lady Morgana awaits!"

~8~

Arthur was given the honours of escorting Lady Morgana to the feast however, their meal didn't last long as they soon began fighting about who knows what and ended up spending the rest of the evening apart. They certainly weren't a match made in heaven. Seeing as Merlin was standing by himself, I decided I should see how he was doing.

"Did my brother rehire you?" I asked, startling Merlin slightly.

"Wha... Oh, uh, yeah, he did." He stuttered. "Still doesn't make him any less of a Dollop head though."

"Dollop head?" I asked, sniggering. "Define 'Dollop Head'."

"Prince Arthur."

I laughed even harder at this. "Dollop head. I like that, I'll have to use it on him someday."

"Merlin!? Come head, NOW!" Arthur yelled from the other side of the hall.

"The prat calls." He said, smiling.

"Yup. Better see what that idiot wants."

He turned, about to see what Arthur wanted, when his eyes met mine. His pure, sea-blue eye stared down into my boring grey-blue ones.

Merlin quickly looked away, embarrassed, and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, uh, I'll be going now. Bye."

It was funny seeing Merlin around girls: the way he got really nervous around them, the way he stuttered slightly. It was almost, _almost_, kind of cute.


End file.
